Gratitude and Desire

Why does it never feel like quite enough? Enough money, enough connection, enough time, enough energy?

If we would only trust, we would see that it’s always exactly enough, perfectly enough, more than enough. Perhaps our feelings of “lacking” are always directly proportionate to that which we’re not fully feeling grateful for.

When you do try to practice gratitude though, it’s more than just acknowledging what you have and thinking, “Yeah, I have this, and it’s great, but…” You’ve got to let that gratitude infiltrate every cell in your body. Really let it in. Yes, I know that everyone tells you to feel more gratitude. You’re probably sick of it. But don’t confuse this with the idea that you have to stop desiring more. If we were perfectly content with the flawed and messy status quo, we’d never create, we’d never fight against injustice, and we’d never try new things.

Learn how to let deep gratitude and deep desire exist within you simultaneously. They’re not mutually exclusive. But feeling deep desire for something is different than feeling an anxious need to possess something. That feeling is born out of doubt, fear, and anxiety whereas deep desire is born out of a pure place in your heart. Don’t feel guilty about your desires. Instead of saying, “I have this, but I’d like more of this,” try saying, “I have this, and I’d like more of this.” “But” negates. “And” allows.

Take action when needed to get to where you want to be, but then trust that it’s enough, that it’s always enough. Hold both the gratitude for what is and the desire for what could be in a deep and holy place within you. They’re not at war; they’re building together.